


To Dwell In Enchantment

by melliyna



Category: Criminal Minds
Genre: Adoption, Families of Choice, M/M, cm: family verse, lgbtq families
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2010-05-29
Updated: 2010-05-29
Packaged: 2017-10-09 18:49:28
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 888
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/90428
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/melliyna/pseuds/melliyna
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It doesn't make the world any less messy, but it does make a balance, this family he has. David Rossi, coming home from work.</p>
            </blockquote>





	To Dwell In Enchantment

David Rossi has come home to a lot of things. Mostly, it was boring though sometimes it was dramatic (he liked the ex wife who'd known him well enough to understand that he was better if he could be rejected in a way that gave him something to do. Even if that was retrieving his cooking pans from the back garden) but he'd never really come home to something like this.

There was a fort in place of a living room. Apparently, someone had been borrowing all the sheets in the house. And the pillows. And one of his shirts. There was a plate of cookies on the table and somewhere in the near distance he could hear what sounded vaguely like war cries.

"Hey, Dad's home!" And that's when he gets jumped on by a small horde of children.

"Pen, are you a princess or a pirate?"

"She's a princess pirate!"

"No, 'm a pirate!"

"JJ was talking about Pen, Spence You're still a pirate, I promise."

"PIRATE!"

He's got an armful of Pen by this point and Spencer apparently wants a hug. Or a Spencer version of a hug, which is a little bit unique. Especially when it comes to making sure that you don't do it say, before he's had his signed 'hello' or a high five. But he's happy to be hugged and honestly? Dave misses it when isn't because Spencer is a warm little bundle of curls and little hands and he gives the best hugs when he wants to. Also he's had a ridiculously long day at work and starts to wonder if maybe bringing the kids in is an antidote to cross jurisidictional pissing contests. Sadly, this is probably not the case but it should be, damn it.

"So, who's the Captain?"

"Derek's the Captain. Because he has the bestest pirate hat. And Emily steers!"

And right now, David Rossi is standing in the middle of the hallway (they've somehow migrated to the hallway) trying not to lose it. Because _these kids_ have somehow found their way in to his heart and he has no idea at all how but he's certainly not going to do without them. Not ever. And this one isn't just about promises that he'd made or what he'd thought this would be like, at first, when he and Aaron had talked this over ("If we do this Dave, the kids are part of the deal - I'm not expecting you to be insta-parent but they are a part of this") - instead it's overwhelming, terrifying and awkwardly wonderful all at once.

He can remember the first time JJ called him Dad. The first time Derek wanted a hug from him. The first time Pen asked him to a dance recital. The first time Spencer smiled back at him and the first time Emily actually talked to him. He knows he'll remember those moments for the rest of his life, along with various others in between. And maybe there's the balance, against the rest of the images he's been living with and he wonders, did Gideon ever understand that. That you need to keep the balance in mind.

"You know, I love you lot. Even when you turn the living room in to a, what is it exactly?"

"Pirates!"

"It's a flying ship!"

"The Dawn Treader!"

"Pirate Boat, clearly"

"I think it might be all of those things. Though I think flying ships might need some wings, right JJ?"

And right on cue, there's Aaron. He looks blessedly relaxed but then, two weeks leave and a negotiated flexible work schedule will do that for you, especially now that Spencer's come through the bout of flu by now and Derek has started eighth grade without trouble. It's definitely good to see his smile though, even if....

"Aaron, are you covered in flour?"

"Well, cookie production does require flour you know."

"You didn't burn the kitchen down?"

"Strangely David, I have acquired enough survival skills to do a certain amount of cooking. Or at least, the cookie and making pasta for the kids portion of culinary survival skills."

"You sure you haven't picked some things up from me there?"

"It's possible you may have assisted in some small fashion, yes. Anyway, are you home for the night? Because I think Spencer wants to show you some drawings and I know the rest of this merry band would like to have dinner and the Princess Bride shortly."

"I'm home," Dave says as he leans down, carefully letting Spencer down to run off. "Why don't you go set things up in the living room?" This is also addressed to the rest of the kids, who skid off happily down the hallway, chattering and speculating about dinner (or in Spencer's case, whether dinner can be provided in the form of food cut in to shapes he likes. Because it makes hamburgers more fun!) and it's just him and Aaron there for a moment.

"Glad you stuck it out then?" Aaron starts to say something else but it gets lost because damn it, Dave's missed him and it's been three days and suddenly, he's got Aaron up against a wall and they are kissing and fuck, he has missed this.

"You bettter believe I am. I've missed you, my Aaron. And those kids of ours."


End file.
